I See Fire
by NuttersIncorportaed
Summary: Set after Fiddleford has regained his memory and moved into the Mystery Shack. Fiddleford fines himself trapped in a dream and realizes that Stan and the twins are in danger. Warning; character death.


Fiddleford knew that something was terribly wrong. He was in some kind of library and he couldn't find a way out no matter how hard he searched. Some of the library's bookcases held books that were neatly ordered but others were a mess. There were gaps on many of the shelves where books should have been and the floor was littered with torn pages and the ashes of burnt books.

"Hello?" he called uncertainly but nobody answered. Fiddleford walked from room to room but he couldn't find another person or an exit anywhere.

It was only after he'd been trapped for what seemed like hours that Fiddleford realised what was bothering him – besides the obvious – the strange place he'd found himself in was devoid of colour. Other than himself, everything was black and white.

Fiddleford heard demonic disembodied laughter and finally understood what was happening. He was asleep and seemed to be trapped in what he could only assume was his own mindscape. The fact that his mindscape was a ruined library was a little depressing but he supposed that was what he got for foolishly tampering with his own mind.

Now that he knew he was dreaming, Fiddleford tried to wake himself up. If Bill had trapped him here then it couldn't mean anything good was happening in the waking world. Stan or the twins were probably in danger and he'd be damned if he slept through it.

Fiddleford closed his eyes and fought his way towards consciousness. It was difficult but he struggled against the trappings of the mindscape. After a few moments he could feel his back pressed against something soft. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in the bed Stan had given him when he'd insisted Fiddleford move out of the dump and into the Mystery Shack.

He quickly got up and went to look for Stan and the twins. He didn't bother to get dressed and set off wearing nothing but his pajamas and a pair of bed socks.

Stan's room was empty and Fiddleford felt the icy fingers of fear grip his heart. He ran up the stairs to the twins' bedroom at the top of the Shack. When he opened the door, he saw both of them sleeping peacefully but if Bill was around that was no indication that they were safe.

Fiddleford ran to their sides and tried to wake them. However, no matter how much he shook them and called their names neither Dipper nor Mabel would wake up.

With a curse Fiddleford got back to his feet and ran from the room. He had to find Stan and there was only one place to look.

He quickly made his way down to the gift shop and typed the code into the vending machine. He pushed the machine aside, stepped into the lift hidden behind it and pressed the button for the lowest level.

The lift had barely started moving when he heard the sound for the portal. It was making a horrible groaning noise, there was the sound of a sucking wind and the crack of thunder. The noise got louder the lower the lift went. Then Fiddleford heard a new sound; laughter. The same laugh he'd heard in his dream.

"No, no, no, what have you done Stan?" he muttered.

The lift screeched to a halt and the doors opened. Fiddleford ran into the lab and towards the portal but he hadn't got far when he was forced to stop. There was a circle of blue flames blocking his way. In the middle of the circle stood a trapped Stanford Pines – minus his fez – and floating above him was Bill Cipher.

Fiddleford put an arm in front of his face to protect it from the heat and got as close to the flames as he could.

"STAN!" he shouted.

Stan swung around and his eyes widened in horror when he saw Fiddleford.

"Get out of here, Nerd! Just run!"

"_I don't think so_," Bill laughed. He clicked his fingers and Fiddleford was instantly trapped in a circle of flame identical to Stan's.

"What happened to saving Stanley together?" Fiddleford asked Stan.

"I thought I could keep you safe by doing this by myself."

"You should have woken me up, you MORON!" he yelled angrily, "How am I supposed to help you and keep you safe if you do stupid things like this?"

"_Guys, guys this is no time for a loves tiff_," Bill laughed, "_It wouldn't have made a difference anyway._"

"Stan, the twins won't wake up," Fiddleford said ignoring Bill.

What little colour was left on Stan's face drained away, "Leave them out of this Cipher," he told the demon, "let Fiddleford go. This is between you and me."

"_Nice try but I think I'll keep them. Maybe I'll let them sleep forever or maybe I'll just kill them like I did your brother._"

Stan looked down and Fiddleford saw something die inside him. His heart shattered as he watched Stan break and could do nothing to help him. He wanted nothing more than to run to Stan and comfort him but he couldn't get past the flames.

"Don't believe him," he called, "Bill lies. Stanley might still be alive."

"But he isn't, is he?" Stan asked in a small voice that Fiddleford almost missed over the sound of the portal and Bill's laughter. When Stan looked up, there was a hardness and determination in his face.

"You took my brother from me," he told Bill, with cold fury in his eyes, "you made Fiddleford lose his sanity for thirty _damn_ years. You destroyed my life and stole everything and everyone that ever meant anything to me. No more."

"Moran, whatever you're planning, DON'T. DO. IT!" Fiddleford begged terrified of whatever Stan was going to do and powerless to stop him.

Stan looked over at him and his face softened slightly. He blew Fiddleford a kiss, "I love you Nerd and I'm sorry for so many things. Don't forget me this time and promise me that you'll get the twins to safety, okay?" with tears in his eyes Fiddleford nodded, "Goodbye Nerd."

"_This is all very touching_," Bill said in an amused tone, "_but what exactly do you think you can do to stop me? Mortals can't even touch me in this realm."_

"That's was you think," Stan said. He pulled at the back of his suit revealing his shoulder. Bill caught sight of the tattoo there and his single eye widened in surprise. He looked around and saw the same design on the side of the portal.

Before the demon had time to react, Stan screamed as he ran within the small confines of the circle of flames and launched himself at Bill. He tackled the dream demon in midair and the two of them fell towards the sparking portal.

Bill gave a cry of pain as he connected with the malfunctioning portal. Fiddleford saw him burst into flames but he didn't care. All he cared about was the human skeleton – that had once been his best friend and the only man he'd ever loved – as it disintegrated and turned to dust.

Bill took longer to die and inhuman screaming filled the underground lab. Eventually it stopped and the flames keeping Fiddleford prisoner flickered out. He stood there looking at the portal in horror.

"You fool," he whispered. The portal began to spark even more. Fiddleford turned and ran from the lab. He had a promise to keep.


End file.
